Coats
by Canadino
Summary: In retrospect, Jack, you should probably wash your coat. Jack/Simon, school AU


**Disclaimer: The only thing I own is the story idea and only some of the witty remarks. I own so little; so please don't steal.**

Background music: -

Coats

Simon secretly really likes Jack's coat. It's really nothing special; just a slightly worn out navy zip-up, with some obscure crest on the right breast and big pockets Simon thinks could fit so many snacks and stupid things. The hood's drawstring has been pulled out and used for something else. The cuffs are frayed and torn.

But Jack looks good wearing it. It is his favorite coat, because Simon sees him in it all the time. The jacket, which by itself looks unsuspecting and ordinary, molds into Jack when the redhead puts it on and becomes a part of him. Simon has felt the arms of the coat around him before (once or twice, because Jack is squeamish about public displays of affection), and he likes it. It's warm and soft and has broken from its initial new-coat stage.

Simon wants to wear it, so he stuffs his own gray windbreaker at the bottom of his bookbag and crams all his books on top of it, in case Jack decides to go through his stuff. It's October and the wind has already passed the crisp pleasant era and onto chilly, pre-winter cold. He shivers noticeably, the tiny school issued blazer doing nothing to shield him from the wind. He knows Jack sees this, because the ginger _hems_ and _haws_ a bit before stopping completely on their way home to shed his coat and throws it around Simon's shoulders.

The first thing he smells is cologne; lightly applied, since Simon made the comment that Jack had been wearing enough for seven boys. It is not the kind that is mature and reminds him of his father; no, the smell is youthful, but proud – is Jack. There is an undertone of Jack's natural scent, wild and in control like an oxymoron. There is also the smell of the high school hallways; the Academy's different buildings have different smells. The younger years have a childish sweetness with a hint of cleaning supply. The middle school, where he goes, he does not know, but he thinks it has settled itself on his clothes. But the upper school, the oldest years, have a foreign, different scent; it smells of daybreak and farewells.

But underneath it, Jack's coat has other smells. He recognizes the smells from the kitchen at the restaurant Jack part-times at. He smells soap and smoke from the cigarettes Roger has made no effort to quit. The fabric welcomes his hands and the body heat from Jack that hasn't dispersed mingles with his. It is akin to waking up in a comforter during winter, or taking a hot bath. He feels safe, like a simple coat can protect him from any sort of unhappiness or unpleasant situations. He will not tell Jack, because Jack will become proud and will know that he is easier to manipulate than the ginger thinks.

Simon hears Jack sniffing and realizes that without his coat, Jack is without the warmth he is enjoying. Merridew is pretending he is not affected, as if he is not shivering in the slightest. Simon knows he should give the coat back, because Jack will catch cold, but he doesn't want to part with it just yet – he stops in the middle of the sidewalk and throws his bookbag off his shoulders and rummages through it as Jack watches. "Here," Simon says, holding out his gray sweater.

"I though you didn't have one," Jack says, suspicion creeping in his voice. Simon wills his face to stay expressionless, wishing he could laugh without irritating Jack. But Jack doesn't dwell on it; without missing a beat, he takes the sweater, tiny in comparison, and wraps it around his shoulders. He continues walking Simon home without any complaint or questions. Simon smiles at this; he reminds himself that when he gets home and slips off Jack's coat on the doorstep, to turn and kiss Jack on the cheek for such show of chivalry. It is nice to know that Jack is his reluctant knight.

Because, of course, Simon definitely holds the upper hand.

End

[=]

Note: Ew, Jack, wash your coat. It smells.

Anyway, I hope I'm not the only one who has the cologne problem. Back in middle school, apparently more was more. Pretty sure you could suffocate in one of those scent clouds. ARG this was so unplanned, this was not part of my school AU roadmap…and I have so much work to do. So HEY, you all who like Jack/Simon! I challenge you to _write_ one! I hope you take me up on that! Thanks for reading, guys!


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